NJ Outlines Kids' COVID Vaccine Rollout Plan: Here's Where To Get It

NEW JERSEY — Children ages 5 to 11 can expect to begin receiving the COVID vaccine in early November and New Jersey plans to make it as widely available as possible.

Once available, the vaccine will be able to be distributed at a number of places "to make it as accessible and convenient as possible" to get it, said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli during a news conference on Wednesday.

The vaccine will be distributed to a number of locations including:

• Pediatricians' offices
• Primary care offices
• Federally Qualified Health Centers
• Several mega sites
• Large county sites
• Retail-owned and independent-owned pharmacies
• School clinics.

"We will have as many as possible to make it as convenient particularly for the kids and the families as possible and we will be aggressively encouraging 5 to 11 boosters," said Persichilli.

As of Wednesday, 57 percent of kids in New Jersey between the ages of 12 to 17 have received at least the first dose of the vaccine.

Persichilli said she wants that to increase.

"We want boosters for adults to increase and we want and need kids from 5 to 11 to get vaccinated," Persichilli. "And that's the way we are going to keep kids in school and keep them safe and keep them able to play sports, gather with their friends in safe environments."

New Jersey's plan follows the Biden administration's announcement of its vaccine rollout plan for children in the 5-to-11-year-old age group on Wednesday morning. Read More: Kids COVID Vaccine In NJ: New Timeline, Rollout Plan

65 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine intended for the age group — a total amount enough to inoculate 28 million individuals — have already been procured by the Biden administration, according to a statement. The White House also added that it informed providers that, within a week of FDA approval, the vaccine (packaged in 10-dose vials in cartons of 10 vials each, delivered in a "newly updated product shipper") would be delivered to thousands of sites.

An FDA advisory committee is slated to meet on Oct. 26 to discuss the emergency use of the vaccine for children, with a ruling expected just days later. After that meeting, the FDA is expected to approve the shot for kids as early as Halloween or by early November.

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